Carrying handle for tied together containers



C. H. ERNE March 11, 1958 CARRYING HANDLE FOR TIEID TOGETHER CONTAINERS Filed NOV. 30, 1955 i z A v/ a 7 Z G H 0 2F 0 f v w/ 1G 5 W} glll W United States Patent ass/6,229

CARRYING HANDLE 'FGR TIED CONTAINERS Char'lesHErhe, .Larchmont,.N. Y,,.assi gnor.to American Company, New'York, .N. Y arcnrporationnfiNew ersey ApplicationiNouemhei-fifl, 1sss,-sma1sNo..-s49;9ss:

3 Claims. (Cl'.. 205-455) vElihe gpresent invention. relates :generally :-;to =devicestfor carrying a plurality ofzeontainersand :thelikeamd has particular reference 1-028. novelsand 'ecnnomical 'flfifiipiflfifi .handle having horizontally .disposedrri gid :supportimemr .troduced 'endwise between (the icontainersr adjacent: their .top edges and provided withrsupport, memberstto' support lthe cont-ainers. The support members frequently are .made from separate pieces which complicatese'ithe. aton- .structiona of. the handle andtthnsqadds tD-"Ihfi acostziof' duction- Usually also the material. of. :therhandle iblank is cut away to,pr.ovideafinger holds andathewcutiawayzpnr- .tions are wasted.

It is an object of the instant invention to overcome :this waste and complication .by the provision ro'f ainovel handle which. is. made as a.one piecetsinglerttliiolmess'telementin which thersupport members areformedfrnmqaa integral..-displaced portion of .the .handlewsmas :tosprovide .a simple and economical handle without waste Qfiblflflk stock. This permits the use of a smaller blank thaw-is .usually required.

,Another object isthe-proyision ofsuchahandlewiere in the support members :are made rigid-1 in. .order tow-fully support the containers.

Another object is the provision of such a handle wherein slippage of the handle out of-place between the tied containers is prevented in both vertical and horizontal directions so as to insure availability of the handlertorthe customer.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pair of juxtaposed containers tied together by a paper band for carrying as a unitary package by a handle embodying the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the handle Shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view taken substantially along a plane indicated by the lines 3-3 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away and shown in section; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a modified form of handle.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings illustrate a handle A (Figs. 1, 2 and 3) for carrying a pair of fibre milk containers B disposed in juxtaposed relation and tied together by a turrounding fibre band C. The containers B preferably 2,826,299 Patented. .Mamytl 1;, 51958 on Container .Such containers comprise .a. rectangular ..,b.ody.D.having.fiat side. .wallsE whichat their-uppenends .areiQrmedwithneoked-in portionsF and an. immediately adiacent .otltw'ardly tor .laterally projecting .endrseam .or ledge-G which includes the peripheral .edge. abandsecures implaceaflat topmemherordiscH.

In thejuxtaposed relationtof .thecontainers.B, twoside .wal1s,.-E.are. directly opposite each other .in substantially contiguous re'lationand.thetcorrespondingsections.of the iledges .0. .for .these. side walls. .extend...transverse1y of .the ,,package. with their outersedges partillelandsubstantirillil coincident.

The 'band- C preferably I.is..made.-'froma single. piece of :fLbEB material having its, end portions overlapped :aga'inst. one. wall .E .of.. one. of the. containers]; .as .shown iii-Pig. 1.1 .The overlapped .end portions .are. securedtqgethen-inany suitable .manner,,.-as by wirestaples .01: adhesive interposed. betweenthe end portions, .to hold ;theband"iii,plaee and. to. thus tie. the contaiinerstogether.

'TheThandle..A (Fig.2) preferably vcon 1prises...a .s'ing'le I.-thickness,,one-piece;rectangular, shaped carrying member 11preferablymadeof'heavy' stiff paper, cardboardplastic board or other'bendable' material... flThe member "11,."in-

wardly of itstwo side edges and itsjt'op edge,'is,.s'lit-.on.cut ithl'ouih along connectinglines dfiseverame 12,13, .14 andthemtrteritil ofthe'member, defined by theselines. of severance "and still; connected to' the member inwardly of 'its bottom edge, is displaced laterally as shown in. dot and dashlines in.Fig. 2 to provide afree. flap 15 andto produce "an opening 16 'in' the handle, the latter being .utilizedfor'carrying purposes.

For the sake of economy in'material used in'producing-the handle A/th'e flap "I5 displaced fromiire opening '16 is utilized to form the supporting elements of. the han- 'dle; f-For this-purpose the displaced .fl'ap 315,, still -connec'tedto th'e carrying "member 11 as 'an integral part thereof,fisfol'ded'downwardly alonga foldiline ITspaced inwardlyof 'tlie bottorn edge 18"of thermerriber,;so'that the folded over fiaplies flat against the carryingmeniber wand extends 'down blowt'hebottom edgedf the member. A suitable adhesive 20- interposed between *the carrying member 11 and the ftil'ded over fl'ap' ISjpermanently se- *cures *thelflap inplace. -Thesecuretk'flap 15therby pro videsfa re'enforcing element 1-9-(Fi'g. '3) forthe' long'itudh mtil bottom edge portionof the handle.

The remaining portion of' the flap '15 freely extending below the bottomedge o'f "the carryingmeniber "H i's fnrther' fol'ieclto provide a pair of'oppos'itly' tii'spo'seii lrorizontal container ledge support elements or flanges ilfZZ and a depending retainer element 23. For this purpose the flap adjacent the bottom edge 18 of the member 11, is first bent upwardly and outwardly into a horizontal outwardly projecting position and is then folded under and back on itself to the bottom edge 18 of the member 11 to produce the horizontal flange 21. At the bottom edge 18 of the member 11, the flap is bent downwardly into a vertical position parallel with the carrying member and is then folded toward the left as viewed in Fig. 3 and upwardly back on itself to the bottom edge of the member to produce the depending retainer element 23. Following this, the remainder of the flap, at the bottom edge 18 of the member, is bent outwardly toward the left as viewed in Fig. 3 into a horizontal position and then folded over and back on itself to the bottom edge of the member to produce the horizontal flange 22. At the bottom edge of the member 11 the tail end of the flap 15 is bent upwardly along and against the member 11 (Fig. 2).

The free displaced portions of flap 15 thus folded under the bottom edge 18.0f the carrying member 11 results in a double layer of thickness, cross-shaped reenforced structure which is an integral part of the handle member 11 and which includes the bottom edge 18 of the memher. A suitable adhesive 20 interposed between the double layers of each leg of the cross as bestshown in Fig. 3 secures the layers together to strengthen and rigidity each leg of the cross. The cross-shaped structure reenforces the bottom edge of the, handle,v and the adjacent elements thereof and includes the two oppositely disposed horizontal flanges 21, 22 which project laterally from opposite faces of the handle member 11 and also includes the depending retainer element 23 which is locate in vertical alignment with the handle member and forms a lower continuation thereof; 1 v When the handle A is in carrying position on the two "juxtaposed containers B of the unitary package, it is disposed between the substantially coincidentledges G of the containers as shown in Fig. 3 with its rectangular shaped member 11 extending above the tops'of the containers and with the flanges or supporting elements 21, 22 disposed beneath the ledges G and substantially filling the upper space provided between the adjacent necked-in portions F of the containers as shown in Fig. 3. In this position of the handle A the depending retainer element 23 extends down into'the lower space between the necked-in portions F and is located below the top edge of the tie band C to prevent transverse displacement of the handle from between the containers. The band C preferably is located adjacent the top ends of the consesame A i It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the forely projecting peripheral ledges with portions thereof disposed in parallel closely spaced relation, comprising a substantially flat one-piece carrying member interposable between and extending above and below said parallel ledge portions, an integral substantially rectangular intermediate portion of said member being struck out along three connecting dimensions thereof and displaced out'of the plane of the member to provide a handle opening therein, said integral displaced portion being folded vertically downwardly along its remaining dimension and thence extending laterally outwardly and reversely laterally inwardly to provide a horizontal container support member of double thickness, said integral displaced portion thereafter extending downwardly and laterally over the bottom edge of the carrying member and thereafter upwardly and thence laterally outwardly and reversely laterally inwardly to provide a second horizontal container support member of double thickness displosed in horizontal alignment with and projecting oppositely from said first mentioned container support member, said displaced portion being secured at its free terminal end to i an adjacent part of said carrying member, said horizontal Asa modified form of the invention, illustrated in 3 .rying member 11 to connect the flanges to hold them against spreading apart and to secure them against the carrying member as a unitary structure. This reenforcing element 27, however, may be made of any suitable material and may be of any other shape, such as a length .of heavy twine, plastic, wood or metal or may be entirely omitted.

oppositely projecting container support members extending laterally from opposite sides of said carrying memher for engagement beneath said parallel juxtaposed container ledge portions for supporting the containers, and a tie band encircling said containers for holding the same together.

2. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein parts of said folded displaced portion of said carrying member engage against each other and are adhesively secured together and other parts thereof are adhesively secured to opposite faces of said carrying member to reenforce the latter.

3. A device as defined in claim 1, wherein a longitudinal reenforcing strip is disposed between the double layers of said horizontally aligned container support members to rigidity the same.

Greenlaw et al Nov.. 16, 1954 Reyna et al Dec. 7, 1954 

